1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding a slip verification unit at a predetermined position in a game machine such as a slot machine. The present invention is also concerned with a game machine incorporating such a holding apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a game machine such as a slot game machine has a slip verification unit having a slip checkup device and a slip stacker disposed under the checkup device. The checkup device checks a slip put by a game player into the game machine to judge whether the slip is appropriate acceptable or to be rejected as being, for example, a fake. Only the slips judged as being appropriate are stacked in the stacker under the checkup device. Such a slip verification unit is required to simultaneously satisfy two requirements: namely, highly strict restriction to removal of the stacker which stored the slips which are often cash bills, and ease of removal of the checkup device for inspection and maintenance. In order to meet these requirements, a typical conventional game machine of the kind described has a holding apparatus provided in the machine housing for holding the slip verification unit. The holding apparatus has a vessel-like stacker-receiving unit having a front lockable access door, and a checkup device holding unit disposed above the stacker-receiving unit and capable of detachably holding the checkup device. Removal of the stacker from the holding apparatus requires pulling the stacker after the front door of the stacker-receiving unit is unlocked and opened. The upper surface of the stacker and the lower surface of the checkup device are connected through a pair of mating connectors that are used for the purpose signal transmission and so forth between the stacker and the checkup device. These connectors when mating each other prevent the stack from being pulled out of the stacker-receiving unit. Therefore, a typical conventional apparatus has a mechanism operatively associated with the front door such that it moves the stacker-receiving unit downward in response to opening of the front door, so as to disengage the connectors, thereby enabling the stacker to be pulled out of the stacker-receiving unit.
The stacker is large and, hence, heavy as compared with the checkup device, in order that it accommodates a good deal of slips. Large actuating power and a rigid linking mechanism are required to move such a heavy stacker up and down in response to the action of the door. Consequently, the holding apparatus is rendered large and heavy, resulting in a raise of the costs of production and other deficiencies. For instance, if the holding apparatus and the associated linking mechanism are formed by metal sheet work, much labor and costs are required due to increase in the sheet thickness and necessity of reinforcement members.